Windows 2003 R2, les reactions dans les médias

The long march to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 is over, as the company on Tuesday released to manufacturing the final code for this long-awaited server software. In a prepared Webcast that featured customer testimonial, Senior Vice President of Server and Tools Bob Muglia emphasized that while 2003 R2 packs plenty of new goodies, it's still built on plain old Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1. Therefore, R2 won't throw enterprises for a loop with the need to test the heck out of a new beast.

Microsoft Tuesday released Windows Server 2003 R2 to manufacturing with plans to ship it to customers and the channel within 60 days. Windows Server 2003 Release 2, which roughly meets the slated delivery date Microsoft announced last year, offers significant new features including better branch office support, integration of the WS-Management specification, Active Directory Federation Services and built-in Unix subsystem that runs Unix and Linux applications.

The software also offers native x64 support and improved web application server and web development capabilities, courtesy of the included Internet Information Server 6.0 upgrade, native support of .NET Framework 2.0 and speedier ASP.NET web server pages.

Microsoft Tuesday released to manufacturing a long-awaited interim update to the current version of Windows Server operating system, Windows Server 2003 R2. The update, which will be generally available to customers in about 60 days, should be 100% compatible with applications running on the current release of Windows Server 2003, said Bob Muglia, senior vice president for server and tools at Microsoft, in a webcast Tuesday morning. "If you have deployed Windows 2003 today you can feel confident deploying this without a long test cycle," he said.

An update to the Windows Server operating system is set for delivery, Microsoft said on Tuesday. The update, called Windows Server 2003 R2, is a paid upgrade for users of Windows Server 2003. The software should make its way to customers within 60 days, the company said.

Microsoft said Tuesday it's completed work on an upgrade to Windows for servers, and the new version will be available to customers by early February. The operating system, Windows Server 2003 R2, comes two-and-a-half years after Microsoft's last major update to Windows for servers, and more than a year before the next one, the "Longhorn" version of Windows Server that's due in 2007.

"Windows Server 2003 R2 builds on the proven reliability and security of Windows Server 2003 and introduces new functionality and benefits in key workloads and scenarios," says Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia, who announced the R2 release during a Tuesday Web conference. "R2 presents our customers with an array of new ways to reduce cost and complexity, boost end-user productivity, and increase the strategic value of their IT systems."

Windows Server 2003 R2 reached its final development milestone on Tuesday when Microsoft released the product to manufacturing. The minor update to Windows Server 2003 will be generally available within 60 days. Windows Server 2003 R2 builds on Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 by adding manageability improvements for branch office and storage scenarios and by expanding the capabilities of the Active Directory.

To encourage new virtualization scenarios in Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, Microsoft will sell the new OS with a half-price version of its server virtualization tool. Microsoft announced the promotion on Tuesday with the release to manufacturing of Windows Server 2003 R2. Under the promotion, customers who buy the Enterprise Edition of Windows Server 2003 R2 can also get Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition for $99 -- about half the normal list price and the same price as the Standard Edition of Virtual Server 2005 R2.

Customers are a little closer to having a shiny new CD with Windows Server 2003 R2 in their hands. Microsoft released its updated server software to manufacturing Tuesday, six months after public beta tests began on the updated technology. A public beta of the software was released in May showing off the new additions to the software and giving customers a chance to see what's been improved.

Windows Server 2003 R2, released to manufacturing Tuesday, features a built-in Unix subsystem, database and NFS connectivity, and the Identity Management for Unix package. Microsoft's goal is for customers to slot Windows Server 2003 R2 in alongside their existing Unix servers while subtly encouraging them to migrate Unix-based tools and applications to Windows instead of Linux. Linux has been nibbling away at Unix’s market share, as customers look to adopt low-cost x86 servers and dump their more expensive RISC-based cousins, while transferring their Unix IT skills over to the open source operating system.

With just weeks left in 2005, Microsoft delivered to manufacturing the newest version of its server operating system, Windows Server 2003 R2.

The software is an interim release that is built on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. It includes a number of fixes and a variety of features and improvements, but it is not considered a major release in the way that Longhorn Server is expected to be when it ships in 2007.

Microsoft is today (6 December) due to release an update for its Windows Server 2003 operating system. The second major release, R2, has new technology to improve security and help to extend applications to users in diverse locations. Microsoft said that users with servers covered by Software Assurance or Enterprise Agreements would be eligible to use R2 in place of their current software.

Microsoft announced the availability of two key products on Tuesday: an interim release of Windows Server and a new version of its customer-relationship management software. The releases could help bridge a gap for Microsoft until the long-anticipated debut of its new operating system late next year. ...Microsoft separately announced Windows Server 2003 Release 2, which will be available to customers within 60 days. Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools division at Microsoft, said it was a relatively minor update to Windows Server 2003 but still offers a "long list of new features." Among them: remote administration of branch offices, an improved file system to simplify storage, better integration with Unix systems and security improvements.

Microsoft has posted a free trial of Virtual Server 2005 R2, the latest version of the Redmond, Wash.-based developer's Linux. There is also a version built for 64-bit Windows; Virtual Server only ran on 32-bit Windows Server. The earlier Virtual Server did handle Linux, but R2 marks the first time that Microsoft's formally extended support to the operating system in the virtual machine software. A 180-day trial version of Virtual Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition can be downloaded from Microsoft's Download Center in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions.

After a year in beta testing, the update to Windows Server 2003 known as "R2" has been released to manufacturing, Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia announced in a webcast Tuesday morning. R2 will serve as an interim release between Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Longhorn Server, due in 2007. R2 delivers many enhancements and several new components that Microsoft says customers have asked for since the operating system was released in April of 2003. However, the core of Windows Server 2003 SP1 has remained unchanged to facilitate faster deployment.

Windows Server 2003 R2 is an update release of the award-winning Windows Server 2003 operating system. Built on Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Server 2003 R2 takes advantage of the stability and security of a proven code base while extending connectivity and control into new areas. Windows Server 2003 R2 offers all the benefits of Windows Server 2003 SP1 while greatly improving branch office server solutions, identity and access management, storage setup and management, and application development inside and outside your organization's traditional boundaries. Windows Server 2003 R2 is easy to integrate into an existing Windows Server 2003 environment as it has the same application compatibility, manageability, and serviceability as the existing servers with SP1.